NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — Operation Homefront is giving to military families in the area.
On Saturday, 390 meals will be given out to military families through the national nonprofit’s annual Holiday Meals for Military program. Each meal will include non-perishables as well as a gift card redeemable for the rest of the groceries necessary for a full holiday meal.
“Due to the generosity of Walmart, The Walmart Foundation, The Bob and Dolores Hope Foundation, and our many other supportive partners, Operation Homefront is able to give strength to our military families by helping them enjoy a special meal through this Holiday Meals for Military program,” said Vivian Dietrich, Regional Senior Director at Operation Homefront.
The event is taking place at the Norfolk Premium Outlets located at Pierce County 1600 Premium Outlets Blvd, Suite 652 from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Holiday Meals for Military program began Thanksgiving 2009 as the result of a chance encounter in a supermarket in Utica, N.Y., near Fort Drum. A soldier, his wife, and infant had a handful of groceries they could not afford.
Since that time, the program has grown from initially providing 500 meal kits to military families in 2009 to providing more than 7,000 nationally this holiday season.
Since the program began, nearly 90,000 meals have been distributed to military families across the country. This month, the program will serve its 400,000th military family member.
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